Once Upon a Night
by Selece's Child
Summary: a brief one shoot about Umi. The Water Knight remembers one of her fisrts sleepless night in CEphiro....


**DISCLAIMER:** MKR and its character belong to CLAMP.

**Notes:** I just can't stop writing about Umi...lol...hope you like it! ^^

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**-ONCE UPON A NIGHT....**

A stone. How could I sleep in that warm and soft bed while he was outside there, turned in a stone by our enemy? Damn Cephiro, I never had problems in sleeping 'till I came here! And damn you too, Clef. I never spent too much time worrying about others before I met you. I sighed heavily and turned to see the others two girl who were sleeping with me in that huge bed: Hikaru Shidou, a red haired girl that was too good and naive to be true, and Fuu Hououji, a blond smart girl who'd make Einstein go hiding because of her IQ…

I looked down at my fist clenching the silky white sheet. Me. Umi Ryuuzaki, a spoiled, selfish brat who came from a rich family. Well, that's what I thought of myself in that period. I never thought of myself like that before going to Cephiro. I used to think I was cool, I had everything a girl could wish for: A perfect family with two loving parents, good marks at school, cool friends, great fencing skills. Fencing, oh I missed it so much! I was even going to participate to the next tournament as captain of my team. But Cephiro ruined everything. I was selfish, and I discovered it comparing me with the two girls who came with me for this damn mission. If compared to them I looked really a terrible person, they were so willing, so excited to be helpful there, so good, while all I could do was lamenting my situation and trying to find a way back to home. That made me mad. If they were so perfect, why summoning me and not another third person more like them? I hate you Clef. That's all your fault! I know you could take me back home, but you refused. You told me that the only way I had to come back was saving this princess, Emeraude, and defeat her captor, Zagato. But I knew you were lying, you had to know a spell for taking me back, you are a mage in the end! I turned over in the bed, Hikaru let go a moan form her parted lips, I sighed and got out of my bed, surely that night would be sleepless. I decided to take a walk, I didn't even change my nightgown, I just went out. I knew that probably there were perils or monster out there, but I didn't care, I needed some fresh air. I walked in the moonlight 'till I reached a cliff hanging on the sea. The sea. They said it belonged to me and to some deity I have to awake. I laugh if I think I couldn't even imagine of the existence of my beloved Selece. Now he's the source of my strength. It's ridiculous and almost impossible imagining me without him.

They said I was the Magic Knight of Water. Magic Knight. What a stupid thing, I was not a Magic Knight, I was just Umi. Umi Ryuuzaki. And being me was enough. I sat on the grass and breathed deeply, I liked the salt smell of the sea. I looked at the moon and I felt lonely. I wanted to go back home, to see mum and dad again, to hug them. I wanted to go to school, to see my schoolmates, to practice at fencing with my captain. I wanted a normal life. Damn Cephiro! Damn Clef! I don't know why, but I couldn't help being furious with him. He had incredible powers, I know he could take us back, but he refused, he promised he'd be there for us and he made Zagato turn him in a stone. Somehow I couldn't take my mind off of him. Suddenly Mokona jumped on my head. That was enough, the so called last drop. I jumped up and grabbed him by his stupid and fluffy rabbit shaped ear

"You damn marshmellow!" I yelled, he just let go out one of his annoying cry and the gem in his forehead glowed, I gasped and let him go. Mokona gently fell on the grass and aimed to the sky with the light band. Suddenly, in a pale hoop, Clef's face appeared sparkling like a second moon.

"Magic Knight" he said, I clenched my fist. Magic Knight. I didn't want to be a Magic Knight. I hated it.

"don't call me Magic Knight" I hissed

"I can't stand it" I added, I saw him nodding,

"Umi" then he said. He called me with my first name, he never did it before. I don't know why some of my rage faded away. I looked up to meet those icy, calm, blue eyes. They gave me chills. Only later I'd discover why they had that effect on me. His calm made me nervous, how could he be so cold?! His world was tumbling down, one of the so called Magic Knights, hadn't the will to do her task, and he still was calm. Icy.

"what do you want, Clef?" sharp, I asked, he smiled. I was the only one who dared to talk to him that way, the others used to be respectful to him, even Hikaru and Fuu. And though at the beginning he couldn't stand me, I think that now he was amused by my attitude towards him.

"it seemed like you needed help" he said calm

"that's why Mokona summoned me" he added, I smiled bitterly

"yeah, I needed help, but you decided to do nothing for it. I wanted to come back, you could help me, I am sure of it, you are a mage! But you preferred tell us the Magic Knight story and…"

"that's not my fault, Umi, that's not me who's supposed to take you back. And I'm not the one who summoned you here" he cut me off

"I hate this place. I wanted to be a normal girl, with a normal life and I'm here, in another world to fight a war that's not mine. You should defend Cephiro, not me. I won't be a magic Knight, I want to be just Umi" I said falling on the grass

"Umi, Cephiro needs you and…"

"no Clef!" I exclaimed, he suddenly stayed silent, looking at me with interest in his eyes.

"Cephiro needs people like Hikaru and Fuu. They are ready to fight, they took their responsibilities, they enjoy being Magic Knights. And look at me. I'm far from all this. I can't do anything else than mourn about what happened to me. If you really needed someone to defend this terrible place, why the hell didn't you choose someone like them, instead of me?! Why the spoiled and selfish Umi Ryuuzaki?!" I was shouting now. He smiled

"what now? Do you like seeing me so furious and frustrated?!" I added shaking in rage

"Umi, you aren't that monster you say…"

"monster, not monster, that's not the point Clef! The point is that I can't stand being here anymore! I'm alone, Clef! I don't get along with the other two, it's stronger than me. I can't do it, I feel too different from them! And I won't risk my life here, I won't end my days because of some monster far away from home! And you, Clef! You promised you'd be here, that I…that we could lean on you! And look at you! You are just a stone now, you talk to us thanks this damn, annoying rabbit!" I said pointing Mokona

"I'm sorry for not being there…" he whispered

"don't say you are sorry! Because that makes me feel even worse" I replied

"why?" he asked, I looked up in those cold eyes and they somehow reassured me. I didn't know that those eyes would haunt most of my dreams when I'd go back home, I didn't know that those eyes would prompted me to come back in that world. I didn't know how much I'd love him. Not yet.

"because I can't stand the fact I'm furious with someone who is in a situation worse than mine" I answered, he smiled

"this proves you aren't selfish, Umi. You are just scared and it's normal. But trust yourself, I know that you can become one of the stronger people in Cephiro"

"how do you know that?" I bitterly asked, he smirked

"because your will is strong and you are stubborn. If you'd use your will to become a real Magic Knight instead of lamenting how terrible is this place you could go far, Umi" I stayed silent. That wasn't enough. I needed someone. I couldn't do it alone. As if reading my thoughts he looked down at me again

"Trust Hikaru and Fuu, they'll help you, encourage you. They'll be by your side, always" he said

"And I'll be there as well" he added in a whisper. I sighed and looked at him, I felt horrible.

"I'm terrible" I commented, he smiled

"no, you aren't. I'm sorry of not being here for you. I know I promised, but Zagato turned me in a stone."

"Clef I…" he didn't let me finish

" I'll do everything I can from here, Umi. I promise. And this time I will keep my word" he said, I closed my eyes. Though I could barely stand him, I wanted to believe in his words.

"ok, Clef. I'll try" I said, he nodded satisfied, then his imagine slowly faded away in the dark sky, replaced by some twinkling stars. I sighed grasping the grass. Why chills were running down my spin? Now I know the answer, but then I just gave the guilt to the cold wind that was blowing around me. Mokona dropped his head and made a cry, I waved him off

"shut up, you fluffy rabbit" I muttered.

In that moment I heard some footsteps coming behind me, I turned and saw Hikaru and Fuu. They were still wearing their nightgown, just like me. Hikaru sat next to me

"you ok, Umi-chan?" she asked. Umi-chan. That was the first time she called me like that, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. No one but my parents used to call me that way. I was just Umi. I don't know why it hit me in that way. I nodded

"yes, thank you Hikaru" I answered, she smiled, then I looked up at Fuu who was standing up next to Hikaru, she reached out her hand towards me, she was smiling. I smiled back and took it, then I stood up.

"I think we'd be better going back to sleep" she said in a motherly tone. Fuu. You were indeed like a mother to me and Hikaru, always so responsible, so kind, so patient. And so worrying too. You always worried for us, even when we came back on Earth. Thank you, I love you so much, you are a the sister I never had. I nodded and helped Hikaru to stand up, she smiled to me and took my arm. Hikaru. You are so innocent, so full of life. And you are always so caring. I'd be lost without you, you are as a younger sister to me.

I giggled and took Fuu's arm, she lightly laughed too. Mokona walked us to the door of the house he had built for us, then he jumped on my head. I fumed, causing the others to laugh.

"Hikaru, Fuu, go to bed, I've something to say to this marshmellow ball…" I said, they laughed

"ok Umi chan, we are waiting for you" Hikaru said stepping in followed by Fuu.

When I was alone with Mokona I took him from his ears and smiled

"no one will ever know I thanked you, ok stupid, fluffy rabbit?" I asked, he dropped his head making one of his cry and I lightly laughed letting him go, I looked him jumping away

"Umi chan?" Hikaru's voice made me understand I'd be better going back and trying to sleep now. I sighed and nodded. Before stepping inside the house I looked up at the sky where Clef's face had appeared earlier. I shivered again

"damn wind" I whispered. How naïve was I! I couldn't understand, not yet…

Once inside I got under the soft sheets, Hikaru turned her head to me

"Umi-chan?" he whispered

"yes, Hikaru?"

"I'm happy we are friends now" she answered, I smiled in the dark remembering Clef's words. If we were friends now, that meant that I had to support them, like they'd do to me.

"I'm happy too Karu" I replied. Karu. I think I'm the only one who calls her this way. Maybe sometimes Fuu does it too, but mainly it's a nickname of mine. She giggled

"good night, Umi chan" she said

"good night to you too, Karu chan" I answered, then I closed my eyes and for the first time since I posed my feet on Cephiro, I felt fine. Maybe Cephiro wasn't that bad in the end. And maybe being Umi Ryuuzaki, Magic Knight of Water would have been better than being just Umi. Only time gave me the proof that I was right.

On that night I gained everything that now mean the most to me: I gained Hikaru and Fuu, my best friends, my sisters, somehow I started to gain Clef, the love of my life, and thanks to that night I did even discovered that there's no place like Cephiro.

And now, so many years after that night talk, I wouldn't go back Earth for anything in the world. I know this is my place. And I know that people here love me, and I do love them as well. More than my own life.


End file.
